


Will You Hold My Hand As I Make Up My Mind?

by pessi_mista



Category: Saint Seiya
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Married Couple, Post-Canon, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-14 21:33:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14145033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pessi_mista/pseuds/pessi_mista
Summary: Shunrei and Shiryu have a pending decision to make. A decision that involves leaving the past behind and starting a new life. But for Shiryu, this isn't easy.





	Will You Hold My Hand As I Make Up My Mind?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VickyCarter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VickyCarter/gifts).



As Shunrei came back from the kitchen carrying a tray, she ran her eyes around the surprisingly tidy living room. Not a single piece of furniture out of place, not a single trace of dirt on the floor. It would be hard to believe that a party had just taken place in the house that night if she herself hadn't been the host, along with her husband Shiryu. Their guests—Seiya and his sister Seika, Hyoga and his girlfriend Eri, Shun and his girfriend June, plus the unaccompanied Ikki and Saori—had done an excellent job at both brightening the celebration of their first wedding anniversary and cleaning the ensuing mess. 

Shunrei put the tray on the coffee table and grabbed the teapot's wing. But Shiryu, who had been quietly sitting in the sofa waiting for her, raised his hand to stop her. 

"You must be tired. Sit here and let me do it." 

She could have pointed out that there wasn't much reason for being tired, seeing as they'd cooked the party's meals together, and then their obsequious guests had done all the necessary cleaning. But she definitely wasn't about to reject a display of kindness from the man she loved. Small heartwarming moments like that were to be savored, not denied. So, she sat by Shiryu's side on the sofa and watched as he poured Keemun tea into the two ceramic cups on the tray. 

The smoke billowing from the hot liquid made an abrupt whipping movement in the air as a cold breeze came in from a window that they'd left open. Shiryu got up to close it. As soon as he rejoined Shunrei in the sofa, they leaned slightly onto each other, touching their shoulders gently. Then they started drinking.

The silence between them was comfortable. It was the kind of quiet that signaled intimacy and contentment. Nonetheless, Shunrei looked at the clock hanging on the wall from across them and realized that someone would have to speak up soon, because the deadline for their pending decision had passed. 

Shiryu must have followed her movements, because he too stared at the watch and then said, "A quarter past midnight." 

"Yes. Our first anniversary is over." 

They exchanged a look, then a knowing smile. Both nodded and kept sipping from their cups. In a tacit agreement, the deadline had been extended for a few more minutes.

For Shunrei though, the extension wasn't really necessary. It was just for Shiryu's sake that she was willing to delay the inevitable: they would move away from Rozan and start anew somewhere else. 

They'd been informally discussing that topic since Roshi passed away during the battle against Hades two years and one month earlier. But at the time, Shunrei had sensed that Shiryu wasn't ready. In fact, at one point he had implied that he would feel guilty to abandon the place that he so strongly associated to the memory of his only father figure. Shunrei on her turn believed that Roshi would have preferred to see them strike out on their own rather than getting overly attached to symbols of the past. After all, she too had been raised by him, and had lived under his protection for longer than Shiryu. 

Deep inside, her husband certainly knew what Roshi would have preferred. He just lacked the courage to cut that final material tie to a lost loved one. Shunrei couldn't help but be slightly bemused at that inversion of expected roles. Usually, she would be the sentimental one, and she would think of herself as a somewhat weak, vulnerable person, whereas Shiryu, despite his natural sensitivity, would try to be more rational and strong. Yet, it seemed that he couldn't find the strength to bid a definitive farewell to Roshi, whereas Shunrei felt surprisingly at peace with the idea, even though she had shed many tears over their loss. 

Now that no air currents circulated in the room, the fruity scent of the Keemun tea dominated the environment. Shunrei took in a deep breath to appreciate the delicate aroma. 

In a joking tone, Shiryu asked, "Sighing for me?" 

"No. For the tea." She winked at him. 

Shiryu peered inside her cup and said, "These days you'll find rivals in the most unexpected places." 

They giggled. Shunrei gave him a quick peck on the lips, then resumed sipping from her cup. A minute later, she finished emptying it, and placed it back on the tray atop the coffee table. Then she reclined on the sofa and let her eyes wonder around as she savored the remaining traces of the smoky, mellow taste the tea had left in her tongue. 

Every single item she glanced at had an old story behind it. The paintings on the walls, the curtains, the rug, the bookshelves and its many tomes, the wood chairs and tables, the decorative ceramic pots, everything. Most of those objects had already been there when Roshi adopted her; a few others were added over the subsequent years. Not even her marriage to Shiryu prompted them to renew and redecorate the house. The most radical change they'd implemented was the replacement of their respective single beds with a double one. Other than that, they'd only spread around the house a few of the wedding gifts they'd gotten from their friends—small kitchen utensils, embroidered towels, that sort of thing. But the majority of the presents remained unused, stored away in closets, drawers and shelves. 

That was pretty telling. The house had served its purpose very well for a long time. But now it was time to find a new place and start a new life. 

At last, Shiryu took one final sip of tea. The tray clinked as he put his cup down on it. Then, he lowered his eyes to the bamboo flooring, and rested his hands on his thighs, the palms rubbing the fabric of his trousers in slow movements. 

With gentle motions, Shunrei covered Shiryu's hands with hers, and held them, and caressed them, her fingers brushing his warm skin. As he looked back up at her, she finally said, "Shiryu, I'm waiting for your answer." 

His shoulders sagged a bit, but he didn't look away, nor did he made her wait any longer. "The answer is yes. It should have been yes since before we got married. I'm sorry for making you wait this long."

Shunrei shook her head. "It's all right. I know this is difficult for you." 

He gave her a sad smile. "But it shouldn't be. It's not like I'll have to live alone. You'll be with me. You are my family. That's all that should matter, isn't it?" 

"Not necessarily." Shunrei slightly tightened her grip on his hands. "Shiryu, I understand how you feel about this. I really do. I'm your family, but so was Roshi, and I can't replace him; I can't play the same role he did in your life. The special moments you shared with him, you will never be able to replicate with me. You will never learn from me the same kind of things you did from him. I know that when we move to our new home, in a way it'll feel like a very important part of your life will be gone forever. That's what you've been trying to avoid all this time, and I don't blame you for that." 

Blinking away the tears welling up in his eyes, Shiryu nodded. "Yes. You really do get it. Thank you." He leaned on to her and they hugged. Through the silk of her dress, Shunrei could feel the gentleness of Shiryu's touch while his arms rubbed her back. After a minute, his voice trembled mildly as he said, "I still think I've been too selfish. I know you miss him just as much as I do, and that I can't replace him for you either. You were here living with him long before I arrived. Yet, you want to move on, because you're strong enough to accept the pain and still choose what's right for us. I... I envy that. Your strength." 

Her heart beat faster. She never imagined she'd hear that kind of compliment from a Saint of all people. After all the violent battles Shiryu had survived to, he envied her? He thought she was the strong one? 

With a renewed, heartwarming sense of pride, Shunrei kissed him in the cheek and leaned her head onto his shoulder. She said nothing though. She just kept holding Shiryu in her arms. The hug would speak for her. 

Shunrei wasn't sure how many minutes had gone by when they finally broke the embrace and went back to holding hands. With his voice now steadied, Shiryu smiled at her and asked, "So, Beijing, here we go, right?"

"Wrong." 

"Wrong?" Shiryu raised his eyebrows. "I thought that's what you wanted."

"It used to be so. But I changed my mind. We're moving to Greece."

He raised his eyebrows further. "You want to live in the Sanctuary?" 

"No. Not there. But not too far away from there either." Shunrei lifted her right hand, grabbed a lock hanging over Shiryu's shoulder and played a bit with it. "If we're moving to a new place, we may as well make sure that it's really going to be a completely new experience for us. Besides, living more or less close to the Sanctuary will be good for you. And for me too, because you'll be getting back home from work a lot faster." They chuckled, and she added, "So, I think we should move to a nearby island or city." 

"Do you have any particular city in mind?" 

"Not yet." Shunrei twirled his lock in her index finger. "If you have any suggestions, I'm listening."

"I don't. But for now it doesn't matter." With the back of his hand, Shiryu caressed her face. "As long as you let me follow you, I'll be happy to go anywhere you want to."

She let his lock loose, tilted her head and put on a fake doubtful face. "Hmm, let me see... Well... Okay, I think it won't be too bad if you follow me."

Shiryu laughed. "Oh, thank you very much, my lady!" Then, he leaned forward, and as Shunrei prepared herself to receive his kiss, he whispered, "Thank you, my love."


End file.
